The use of lasers such as an argon-ion laser has become extremely significant in various fields of medicine. With the expanded number of medical applications, the medical profession has found itself dealing with many new kinds of procedures and operating conditions. Aside from having to determine the appropriate laser source for the desired absorption, reflection, scattering or transmission of the light by the tissue being exposed in the procedure, it has also become increasingly important to improve what is generally termed the optical delivery apparatus. More specifically, various improvements in devices for connecting the laser source to the fiber optics, for handling the fiber optics at the operating site, for minimizing infection and other contamination risk, and for controlling the amount of beam power delivered, both during standby and the aiming procedure as well as during the operating procedure have all become extremely important considerations. Significant improvements in optical delivery are represented by the various optical delivery devices described in the referred-to, previously-filed, copending applications. Interchangeable optical delivery assemblies utilizing such improvements is now recognized as a critical need and providing such interchangeable capability is an object of the invention. The invention also recognizes a need for additional improvements enabling the laser operator to observe signals representative of the actual power being sent to the distal end as well as to the actual power emitted by the proximal end of the fiber. Thus providing this capability becomes one object of the present invention. The invention also recognizes a need to provide a unified optical delivery apparatus in which focusing, beam splitting and filter lenses are readily accessible and easily replaced. Another need recognized by the present invention has been that of being able to more conveniently aim and control the laser beam while operating on a lower power level than has heretofore been possible. Thus, another object of the present invention is that of providing an improved optical delivery apparatus which provides such a low level power aiming capability.
Various types of laser light blocking and scattering devices have been known. However, with the advent of improved optical delivery devices such as those described in the referred-to copending applications, it has become increasingly important that the laser power be completely shut off or blocked in the situation in which there is, for example, no outgoing connection to optical fiber or when the operation is otherwise not ready to proceed. Thus, the availability of improved, remotely-controllable blocking and scattering shutters suited to interlock systems with interlock status display becomes significant. An improved blocking shutter, scattering shutter, outgoing fiber plug position sensor and scattering shutter position sensor, all constitute additional desired features that have been recognized and the achieving of an improved optical delivery apparatus with the mentioned as well as other features constitutes an object of the invention which along with other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.